Whatever You Dish
by Gabby-kun
Summary: Neither of them would have ever expected for one of their usual fights to make such an "unexpected turn". LIMES.


A/N: This story is Rated M for now because it contains suggestive themes (soft lemon). :).

Disclaimer: I in no way, shape, or form own Ranma 1/2. If i did...heh heh...lets just say i'd be one LUCKY bitch.

...

**WHATEVER YOU DISH**

...**  
**

"What are you trying to say, Ranma?" Akane shouted, clenching her fists and glaring at the cocky martial artist before her.

"I'm sayin' you couldn't hit me even if i let my guard down."

Their casual, everyday quarrel had begun in the house. Akane had turned in from a long, hard evening of practice in the dojo. She wanted nothing more than a nice cool shower to refresh her. After informing Kasumi about her desired activity, she swooped up P-Chan and started toward the bathroom.

"Get back here, you shriveled pervert!" Ranma shouted darting after Happosai and his fresh sack of stolen undergarments. Happosai snickered. "What a haul!"

Ranma followed him down the hall where Happosai bounced past two doors and stopped at a third one where a yellow duck plaque hung.

"Akane, here I come," he shouted as he swung the door open and pounced through. He paused momentarily and glanced around the lonely bedroom.  
His face quickly lit up when his eyes met the oak dresser resting across the room between Akane's bed and the wall. He charged at the half open second drawer, where Akane's panties, bras, and socks were nested. "Come to Happy-uh ah!"

A fist had connected with his head. "And just WHAT do you think you're doing?" Ranma asked.

"Ranma, don't you see? This is your perfect opportunity...Akane's gone and her underwear are openly available." Happosai dug through the drawer plucking and picking and tossing the various articles of clothing. "Hubba! Check out THESE delicates." He held out a lacey yellow pair of bikini shaped panties. "I call dibbs."

"What IS this? An auction?" Ranma said.

"Take your pick, Ranma. Before I snag all the good ones."

Ranma clenched his teeth. "Why don't you understand-" He grasped Happosai by the back of his shirt and retracted his leg. "-That I'm NOTHING like YOU!"

He punted Happosai through the open bedroom window into the cloud painted evening sky.

"Geez, look at this mess." He glanced around at the scattered pile of panties, bras and occasional socks littering the floor. 'Akane'd freak if she saw this.' He began picking up pieces and replacing them in the drawer. When he got down to the last piece, he couldn't help but pause and stare at the silky pair of purple panties in his hand.

He momentarily brushed the smooth material with his thumb. A smirk came to his lips.

"Heh...Yeah right. Like I'd EVER want this tomboy's underwear." He threw them into the drawer and slammed it shut.

"RANMAAA..."

A jolt of lightning struck through his body as all his hairs stood. He quickly turned to find a flaming Akane standing in the doorway. She was clenching her bath towel around her body.

"Why are you in my room?" she asked in a restrained voice.

"Akane, it's not what you think." He held up a hand.

"You were in my underwear drawer, you pervert!" She took a few heavy steps forward as her blood flaming aura grew.

"No I wasn't. S-See, Happosai came here...and I was just trynna keep the little creep away from your drawer, that's all..."  
Akane's flaming aura suddenly died. Her features softened as she stared at Ranma. "Really..."

He silently blew a sigh of relief.

"Yeah..." He looked her sternly in the eyes. "You know I'd never touch your toxic jockeys...At least not by choice."

And just like that the flame was back.

Ranma continued. "Honestly I can't see why the old pervert would even bother with YOUR stuff... I guess he doesn't discriminate."

The vein at Akane's temple pulsed uncontrollably. She clenched her fists as the flames of her aura fluttered.

Ranma rested his hands at the back of his head, oblivious, and started toward the door. "Well, anyway...I'm starvin'. Let's go see if Kasumi is finished with dinner."

Akane's head had dropped to where her eyes were hidden by her drooping bangs. "You...YOU JERK!"

POW! SMASH! BOOM!

...

"Dinner's ready!" Kasumi called.

Genma, in panda form, rushed to the table where Ranma was already sitting, resting his bruised cheek in his hand. Soun arrived at the table, followed by Nabiki and Akane. Kasumi continued to set the table with the meal she had prepared. She glanced up from the platter of dumplings she carried and stared at Ranma.

"Oh...what happened to your face Ranma?"

Ranma lazily mumbled something no one could comprehend.

Akane glanced at him. "Hmph." She turned her nose up and took a seat a few feet away from him.

"The food looks great today, Kasumi," she said to the eldest Tendo sister.

Genma held up a sign. 'You can say that again'

Dinner went casually, with the usual topics of conversing. Genma and Ranma tore at their bowls with hunger, Soun took occasional bites when not contributing to the current conversation, and the three Tendo daughters modestly consumed their helpings. Everything remained normal until Kasumi changed the subject.

"Does anyone know where Happosai went?"

"The old pervert's probably somewhere off terrorizing women again," Ranma said not looking up from his bowl of curry.

Akane glanced at him, then back at her own food. "...He's not the only pervert around here,"she mumbled.

A vein appeared on Ranma's forehead. "Look, I told ya I wasn't touchin your underwear!"

Akane didn't bother to look up at him. "Well, it sure looked that way."

"Why in the world would I even WANNA touch your-"

"Then why'd you do it, huh?" She finally turned to him. "You're just mad because I caught you."

"You didn't catch me doin' anything 'cause I told ya I'm not interested in your disgusting panties!"

The two continued to bicker, meanwhile Nabiki started a casual conversation with the others to lighten the mood.

...

Dinner ended unpeacefully.

The others slowly drifted away from the table as the evening slipped into night. Soun and Genma had resumed to their game of shogi, Nabiki turned in early for bed, and Kasumi retorted to the kitchen to begin on dishes. All that remained of the noisy evening was Ranma and Akane continuing their argument at the empty table.

"You're uncute, you're unsexy, you're barrel-shaped, you're clumsy, and you're hot-headed," Ranma listed. "The only thing you've got worthwhile is that beastly strength of yours and that won't do much in catchin' you a husband."

Each insult stabbed Akane sending a piercing pain through her heart. Though she had heard them before in previous altercations, they affected her more than they ever had. Since their failed wedding attempt a few weeks prior, Akane and Ranma had grown more accustomed to each other. Though they still occasionally held their arguments, the fights had grown a lot less hostile. They insulted each other, but in good-nature. Almost as if just to keep old habits.

Even after being frustrated at the failed wedding, Akane had accepted the fact that maybe it was for the best. She had accepted her feelings for Ranma more as the days went by. When they weren't fighting and when they weren't in school, they could be found interacting pretty well. They hung out and accompanied each other to the movies and cafes and special events. Occasionally he even treated her really well, like by buying her dessert or getting her gifts on special occasions. There were times when she had gotten into clumsy situations and Ranma had grabbed her or shifted their position to prevent her from injuring herself.

She really had grown to enjoy his company. And now that she thought about it, she almost couldn't remember the last time she had struck him out of anger. (Besides just a few minutes ago). Sometimes Akane could even forget that the wedding disaster ever occurred. And with time she hoped that they could attempt the wedding again. But at their own accordance.

Though she never openly admitted it, she really truly loved him... That's why it hurt so much to hear these insensitive things come from his mouth!

"Is that so?" Akane fumed. "Well, you're a stupid, egotistical jerk!"

Ranma stuck his tongue at her. "Nyah nyah. Macho chick!"

Akane flew into fighting position and thrusted a swift kick in Ranma's direction. Ranma leaped and dodged, spiraling backwards a few feet. "Nyah nyah!" he repeated making a goofy face at her.

"Why don't you grow up, Ranma... You pervert!"

Ranma's goofy expression suddenly transformed into solemness. "Hey, I thought I told you to stop callin' me that."

"Well it's the truth."

"It is NOT."

Akane turned away. "Whatever. I'm going to bed...Just stay out of my room."

"I keep tellin' you. I wasn't in there 'cause I wanted to be, okay? And it wasn't what it looked like."

Akane hummed casually, pretending not to hear him.

"Hey! Are you listening to me?" Ranma started after her. He followed her down the hall as she continued to hum.

Akane made it all the way to her bedroom door when she turned to him. "Stop following me! What are you planning to do?"

Ranma looked at her in disbelief. "Hey, don't get the wrong idea. I'd never try anything like that...especially with an ugly tomboy like you."

"Well, EXCUSE me for being ugly!" she said throwing a punch toward his jaw. Ranma ducked and swooped behind her.

"Looks like you've been lacking in your training," he smiled.

Akane twirled around. "What are you trying to say, Ranma?" she shouted clenching her fists and glaring at the cocky martial artist before her.

"I'm sayin' you couldn't hit me even if i let my guard down."

"Oh yeah?...Well, then I challenge you. Fight me for real." The sternness of her voice and her icy stare reminded Ranma that she was serious.

"I'm not gonna fight you, Akane."

"Why not?"

"'Cause I wouldn't want to hurt you. Just admit that you can't touch me."

"Never! If you won't fight me, then how can you be so sure I can't beat you?"

Ranma now had his arms crossed in a smug manner. "Forget I even brought it up...Just go to bed Akane."

Akane felt her flaming battle aura return. She couldn't believe this! Not only had he insulted her, but now he was mocking her, too. There was no way she was quitting this time without a battle.

"I know what it is. You're just afraid that you'll lose to a girl."

"Ha! Lose to you? You wish..."

"Then fight me!" Akane aimed for his face. For a split second, because of Ranma's facial expression, it looked like he was caught of guard. He still managed to dodge her blow. Akane came back with a kick aimed at his torso and Ranma grabbed her leg to restrain the kick with no effort. "Akane just give it up."

"No!" She was tired of him acting superior all the time. She knew that if she just tried hard enough, she could probaly gain the upper hand in one of their fights. She had been training a lot lately and she knew she had improved since the last time she challenged him.

She threw a combination of three punches, two aimed at his face and one aimed at his chest.

He blocked all of them.

She came back with two more punches and a kicked aimed at his side.

He blocked and dodged those, too.

After a few more attempts, Akane was tired and breathing, heavily. She glared at him in anger.

"Are you done?" he asked completely unfazed by her attacks.

Akane flared up again. Why wouldn't he take her seriously! He didn't even attempt to hit her. She stared at his smug grin.

"Coward! Why won't you fight me back!"

"Isn't it obvious?...Akane, you need to train more before you challenge me." he said with the same solemness as before.

Akane growled. How dare him! Why did he think she had spent so many long hours in the dojo? Did he honestly think she had been practicing her butt off for nothing? Sure she hadn't been through as much intense training as he had. But she had improved. She was just as much of a martial artist as he was and she deserved to be taken seriously. It aggravated her to a point of intolerance.

She glared at him. "Whatever, Ranma. I still say you're just using that as an excuse. There is NOTHING you can dish out that i can't handle."

Ranma frowned at her. "Geez, Akane, what are you? Stupid?"

"You just can't admit that I can probably beat you," she said. "You're a coward. You can't even take a girl seriously."

She saw him tense up at the word 'coward'. He stared at her with rivalry.

Fortunately, Akane knew exactly what she was doing.

"Who're you calling a coward? I told ya already. I simply just don't wanna hurt you...or your feelings for that matter."

Akane leaned in to him. Her challenging face was only inches from his. "Oh yeah? Why don't you prove it. Fight me."

A blush crept over Ranma's cheeks and he scooted back. "...O-Okay. Fine...If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get."

Akane smiled inwardly. She knew Ranma way too well. If there was one thing Ranma Saotome couldn't handle, it was a blow to his pride. Now she had him right where she wanted him.

"But I'm going easy on you," Ranma continued. "And don't you go cryin ' if you lose."

'If' I lose?, Akane thought.

Knowing Ranma, 'When you lose' was more his style. Maybe even he had the slightest bit of confidence in her.

"Ready when you are," Akane said. She had swapped her evening dress for her gi and was now standing before Ranma in the dojo. She took on a familiar pose. Ranma on the other hand stood planted in a casual pose. He sported his usual tank top and pants.

"Fine. I'll strike first." He fell into his own fighting stance. "Get ready."

After an intense pause, Ranma charged at her and threw a kick toward her head. Akane ducked just in time and countered him with two punches toward his abdomen, which Ranma dodged. She countered again thrusting her bent knee toward his side. Ranma leaped and landed behind her. He threw a punch at her back and Akane swirled around and blocked it. She found this as the perfect opportunity to retaliate and threw a blow at his face. She barely grazed his cheek as Ranma cocked his head sideways. She threw out a line of about ten more punches and only managed to brush him a few times. Ranma attempted to kick and throw her off balance but was unsuccessful.

After five minutes of barely being able to strike him, Akane went all out. She channeled all her energy into her attacks and released it with every blow. Ranma had to closely focus in order to avoid her determined kicks and punches. Even he had to admit. She had improved in her agility.

The sounds of swift battle movements, rigid breathing, and Akane's cries with each strike were all that was heard in the dojo. Akane paused and bent over to gasp for breath as sweat drizzled down her heated face. Ranma stopped and stared at her. His breathing had remained constant but many beads of sweat stuck to his body, also.

"You ready to stop?" Ranma asked in all seriousness.

"No way," Akane huffed, standing up straight. "I'm only getting warmed up."

Ranma didn't believe a word of it. It was obvious that she had went all out. And though her agility and technique had grown since he last witnessed her fight, her endurance still had room for improvement.

"Let's call it a night," he said.

"No," Akane protested. She couldn't give in just yet. She had barely been able to touch him a few seconds ago. She knew if she pushed a little bit harder, she could probably could discover something she hadn't been able to do before.

"You're exhausted, Akane."

"I am NOT. Just shutup and fight!" She used her momentum to launch a loaded kick at his head. At the last second, Ranma grabbed her leg by the calf, spun her around to where her back was facing him and reached for her arms. He quickly pinned and locked them behind her back. The wall was only a few feet away and Ranma aggressively, but cautiously forced her into it.

"What are you doing?" Akane shouted, squirming in his grasp.

Ranma tightened his grip on her. Akane twisted and turned in attempt to break loose but the more she struggled, the tighter Ranma locked her arms. He used his entire body mass to pin her to the wall. No matter which way Akane shifted or pulled, there was no getting away.

"Let me go, Ranma!"

"What are you going to do now, huh? You're open and helpless. If this were a real fight, this would be your end, Akane." he said practically in her ear.

She squirmed some more, trying to twist her arms free. Ranma tightened his hands around her wrists. Since that didn't work, she attempted to twirl around and switch positions with him, but his body was pressed so hard against her that she couldn't move an inch.

"Do you give up?" he asked preparing to release her.

"No." She twisted and jerked some more. But there wasn't much room for her to move. She was locked securely in place.

Ranma stared at her in amusement as she struggled. Akane paused to think of a battle plan.

"What's wrong? Surely you can get out of a simple trap like this...Admit that I won and I'll release you." His warm breath sent shivers down her spine as it hit her neck. Akane remained quiet. There was no way he was going to win this. If it took all night, she'd figure a way out of this.

"Go on and say it, Akane. You're so helpless, I could do ANYTHING to you right now and you would just have to deal."

There was a momentary silence before Ranma realized what he had said. There was no way he intended it to sound as sexual as it had. He figured Akane must have noticed it too because she didn't say a word for what seemed like many long seconds.

"Well...It's not like you WOULD."

Ranma pulled back a bit to look at her. "What do you mean?"

Akane sucked up her courage to prepare for what she was about to do. "I mean even if you had the opportunity to do something, you wouldn't have the guts to do it." Ranma furrowed his eyebrows. It was hard to tell whether she was referring to the sexual connotation of the threat or not.

"Oh yeah? Like what?" he asked.

Akane shrugged. "It doesn't matter. The point is, here you have me in front of you, 'helpless' as you say, and you're in the position where you could probably do anything and get away with it. But the question is, are you bold enough to do it?"

Ranma stood confused. He had no idea where she was going with this. "Uh...well I could do anything if I WANTED to."

"Heh. You're all talk..."

Ranma unintentionally released his grip on her. "Fine. Try me."

Akane was silent for a moment. Then she looked over her shoulder at him. "Kiss me."

"WHAT?" Ranma released her and she turned to face him. "...U-uh...are you serious?" he asked.

"Well...sure."

There was a momentary silence as Ranma stared at her. "...Akane..."

Akane returned the stare. Then slowly a grin spread across her face. "GOTCHA!...You fell for it, you dope."

Ranma's mouth dropped open as he watched her laugh uncontrollably. He frowned.

"Hey! You tricked me!"

"Yep. It was easier than I thought it'd be. Ha, you should have seen the look on your face."

Ranma crossed his arms. "That was a dirty trick."

"Hmph. It's your fault for being distracted so easily. And look, I got you to let me go, didn't I?"

Ranma pouted. "You know... you are really uncute."

"What are you getting mad for...It's not like you were really going to do it. It's obvious you were scared."

"I was NOT," he said blushing. There was an awkward silence. Akane stared into his blue pupils. He averted them, trying to look anywhere else but at her. Akane reached for his hand. This caused Ranma to meet her eyes and stare. "Then prove it,"she said.

It took a moment for the words to register in his brain. The only thing he could think of at this time was the fact that Akane seemed to be serious. He had been taken by surprise when she reached out and touched his hand. He continued to stare into her brown eyes and he immediately snapped out of his trance when her hand squeezed his gently.

"U-uh..." Ranma glanced around, as if to check for witnesses. Though he and Akane were the only two in the dojo and were usually the only two, he couldn't help but feel eyes that may or may not have even been there.

He turned back to her. "Fine,"he said. He uncertainly grabbed her by her arms and pulled her closer to him. Akane could see his adam's apple move as he swallowed hard. She suddenly felt a fluttering sensation through her stomach. Was he really going to do it? Ranma's stare traveled from her chocolate pools down to her small petaled lips. His hands slowly and gently slid from her arms to her waist. He bashfully positioned them there then pulled her even closer, to where their torsos were only centimeters apart. He paused. "Are you sure?" he asked one last time.

Akane's breath was caught in her throat. She almost couldn't believe this was really happening. Would this be like the last time or would this time be different? She stared up at his handsome face only inches away from hers. A blush crept over her cheeks despite her protest. Her mouth suddenly felt dry and she couldn't bring herself to respond to his question. Instead she nodded.

This was the ticket. Ranma glanced her in the eyes one last time and firmly repositioned his hands on her waist.

Before Akane even noticed it, Ranma was leaning in closer. She allowed her arms to travel up and wrap around his shoulders. Her eyes slowly slid closed, then his.

A jolt of electricity ran through her when his lips made contact with hers. They were a lot softer and gentle than she would have imagined. She expected the kiss to last only a brief second, but Ranma lingered a few seconds before pulling back. Both their faces were flushed.

They slowly released each other and scooted back. Ranma looked away from her, and she looked away from him. Neither of them said a word for a several seconds. Akane wanted to break the awkwardness but wasn't sure what to do.

Luckily, Ranma did it for her. "...Heh...Looks like I win."

"Huh?" Akane asked. "How do you figure that?"

"I proved you wrong," he said with his usual cocky smile.

"Oh, whatever." She crossed her arms. "It was just a kiss...anyone could have done that."

Ranma's smile disappeared and Akane suddenly wished she could take the words back.

"...Oh yeah? Well your stupid tricks won't work on me twice. So try gettin' outta this one." He engulfed her entire body in his arms and locked them.

"Hey!" Akane tried spreading her arms length to break Ranma's trap. She planted her feet firmly and used all her effort to remove his arms from encircling her. As soon as his arms had slightly budged, Ranma had re-clasped them, trapping her again.

"Let me go, idiot!" She attempted it again. This time, when his arms were almost unlocked, she tried to jump forward to escape. Ranma hurried to re-trap her and he accidentally grabbed a handful of her chest.

"EEH!" Akane shrieked. By impulse, her fist connected with his mouth and he released her. Akane turned away to hide her blush.  
Ranma held his aching lip. "Uh...S-sorry. You know that was an accident, right?"

"Of course," she said. After a moment, she realized that she was covering her chest. Neither of them said a word for another brief awkard moment.

"Well...guess we should get to bed, huh?"

Akane nodded. "...Yeah...I guess I can finish beating you tomorrow."

Ranma raised an eyebrow. "Huh? There's no way YOU beat me."

"Fair and square," she said starting toward the door.

"No way. I had you defenseless. You would have never gotten loose if i hadn't..."

"It's your fault for getting so embarrassed and letting go."

"...Well...what was I supposed to do. You screamed like you were bein killed or somethin'. I wasn't the one embarrassed."

"Yeah, right." She stopped walking and faced him. "You blush at every little affectionate thing...It doesn't even have to really be sexual. That's why I said you wouldn't have the guts to do anything even if the opportunity fell from the sky."

Ranma frowned. "...Y-you keep talkin' like that and I'll have to prove you wrong again..."

Akane crossed her arms. She may have been wrong about the kiss but she KNEW Ranma hadn't the courage to try anything more. "Go ahead. I dare you."

Ranma glanced around the dojo again. Akane started to ask him what he was looking for but before she had the chance, he grabbed her arm. He pulled her to the right moving her closer to the wall. Akane blushed as he gently pressed her against it.

"You can't hit me though cause you told me to." The tender expression on his face made her stomach flutter again. All that could be heard in the dojo now was the sound of crickets chirping outside and their faint breathing.

Ranma leaned in and pressed his mouth to hers. His arms slid around her waist and they deepened the kiss. Akane relaxed against the wall and let him dominate. She parted her lips when she felt his tongue shyly beg for entrance. A soft moan escaped her as Ranma's tongue entered and began to carress hers. They were both amateur at the subject but the new sensations they felt showed them exactly what they had to do to get what they wanted.

Akane let her uncertain hands rest on his chest as Ranma turned his own hands' attention away from her waist and let them wander. Shivers went through her body as his hand softly grazed her side. He used his second hand to cup her bottom. Akane moaned again.

The experience was great for her. His lips against hers lit a fire within her body. And his hands tenderly touching her seemed to add fuel to the fire. She almost felt as if she wasn't in reality.

The hand on Akane's side traveled North slowly. When he reached the side of her breast, he let his hand rest there for a moment as if to test her reaction. She didn't react so Ranma slowly moved the hand over further. He continued to let his tongue caress hers as they finally found a consistent rhythm. Her soft, frequent moans were sending slivers of pleasure through his body. He allowed his whole hand to faintly cup her breast and he could feel her tense up. Ranma removed the hand, preparing to be hit.

But it never came. Instead, Akane sighed and clutched his shirt, pulling him closer. She could feel the heat from his chest radiating to hers and it intensified the sensations. Ranma allowed his second hand to gently rub circles into her bottom. He earned a louder moan from his fiancee.

They found themselves pulling apart for air and Ranma looked Akane in the eyes.

"Didn't think I would do THAT, did you?"

"Definitely not," she responded between huffs.

"Anything else I "wouldn't do"?"

Akane smirked and shrugged. "I don't know. You said you aren't afraid to do anything...so surprise me."

Ranma smiled back. He took the invitation and began to trail kisses down her cheek and over her jaw line. His hands reached up and grabbed the flaps of her gi top. He slowly spread them apart and pulled back for a look. He noticed she wasn't wearing a shirt under her top. When he separated her flaps, her pink lace bra became visible.

Akane watched him in wonder. He softly cupped her and began to stroke, experiementally. She sighed at his actions. A blush crept back over her as she grew warm at his gentle touch.

Ranma's soft lips returned to hers and they continued their fiery session. His hand carefully traced the lacey design of her bra. After summoning his courage, he hesitantly pulled at a cup and tugged it downward. The strap slid down Akane's shoulder as he did so.

Before continuing further, Ranma pulled back from the kiss. "This is okay, right?"

Akane fought to reduce the thumping of her heart. She simply gulped then nodded. She reached for the belt that kept the flaps of her gi together. Tugging at the strap, she allowed the cotton material to fall from her waist and the flaps released from their overlapping position. Ranma assisted her in moving the gi out of the way to where it rested loosely around her shoulders.

He returned his attention back to her half exposed breast. Slowing removing both cups completely, her entire mounds became visible.

Ranma couldn't help but briefly admire the soft, rosy-peaked features. They were milky hued and not too large neither too tiny in size. He was even more thrilled when his hands came in contact with them. He playfully squeezed the smooth features.

Akane's nipple grew hard under his touch. Ranma must have noticed it too because he released his grip and redirected his attention by gently brushing his thumb over it. A shiver ran through Akane's body. Ranma continued to experiment with the hardening nub as he tweaked and pulled at it. She bit her lip to suppress the moan that threatened to escape.

Ranma looked at her face again before pulling her into another kiss. All the while, his fingers continued their motions on her very sensitive nipples. Her body grew hot as the shivers that jolted through her triggered another sensation. This time, the sensation was traveling south.

She gave up on holding back moans as her tongue wrestled with his in a fight for dominance. She could feel her body quickly losing control. The feelings were too much for her. Between Ranma's warm, intoxicating mouth on hers, his calloused, gentle fingers rubbing her, and the unfamiliar heat growing between her legs, she didn't know how long she'd be able to continue.

She pulled back to gasp for air and Ranma smiled at her.

"So what do you think?"

Akane wasn't exactly sure how to respond. She stared him in the eyes instead.

"Now will you admit that I win?" he asked.

Akane frowned slightly. "You haven't won anything yet."

"But I proved you wrong..."

She wasn't ready to let him believe he had earned victory. If he wanted to win, he'd have to impress her beyond that. "You haven't done much," she stated with false confidence. "If you REALLY want to prove me wrong..."

She didn't finish the sentence.

Partially because she wasn't sure how. And partially because she was hoping she wouldn't have to and that he would catch on.

Ranma waited expectantly for her to continue. When she didn't, he frowned. "What do you want me to do?..."

Akane smirked.

She used this as a distraction as she thought of a reply. "If you really want to prove me wrong...show me how BOLD you can be with me in submission."

Ranma froze. This was the reaction Akane was looking for. Fortunately, after two whole years she had grown to know her fiance fairly well. Including his weaknesses and responses. In this situation, he had reached his halt. Akane knew this would be where the battle ended.

The black-haired boy stood before her in shock. Or more like he was stuck. His pupils began to wander again as he absent-mindedly twiddled his thumbs. The cricket chirps from outside made the silence in the dojo more apparent.

"...Um...Akane," he said reaching the courage to glance at her. "...Shouldn't we...I mean...shouldn't people save this stuff...you know, until...they find the person they like...or get married er somethin'."

Akane paused. What did that mean?

Was he saying he didn't like her?

She shook her head in understanding. "Yeah. People should."

He stared at her as a blush retook its position on his face. "Then...w-why are we..."

"You don't have to do this. This was simply a test to prove my point."

Ranma didn't respond.

"And I did prove my point. Didn't I?" Akane added.

His facial expression changed. "Hey, I never said I wouldn't do it...It's just...I...just wanted to make sure it was okay. With you, I mean...Cuz, you know...I don't wanna do anything too..."

Her cocky smirk returned. "Like I said before, there is nothing YOU would do that I couldn't handle. I can take whatever you dish."

Ranma sensed her challenge. "Fine. But don't go screamin' or yellin' or hittin' me cuz it was your idea."

Akane waited patiently for him to make his first move. Once again, he looked around the empty dojo just to reassure himself. Then he turned back to his fiancee. Akane hadn't remembered moving so close to him. Their bodies were centimeters apart and she was pretty sure he could feel her faint breath on his chin.

He glanced down at her still exposed chest. One of his hands cupped one while his other hand hooked around her hip to pull her closer. Slowly he bent down, and lowered his face toward her breast. His lips made contact with it, planting a soft kiss right below the cleavage.

Akane gasped. His hand that rested on her other breast began to mimick his movements from earlier on her still erected nipple. He moved lower and planted another kiss, right below the first one. He repeated until he arrived at a swolen nub. His tongue reached out and ran over the nub and Akane arched her back.  
After tracing a wet circle over it, he clamped his lips and took the nipple into his mouth. He began to suck gently while continuing his finger motions on her other breast.

Akane's head fell back and rested against the wall. She arched her back more as her soft moan filled the dojo.

After a few seconds of experimental actions, Ranma became more confident. His suckles became more firm and his caresses grew more rhythmic.

Akane became lost in the sensation. Warm waves of pleasure traveled from her sensitive peaks throughout the rest of her body. Soon her breathing grew rigid and she could no longer suppress the sounds that escaped her mouth. The sudden urge to pull him closer washed over her.

Ranma used her sounds as encouragement. Each gasp and moan sent shivers through his body, arousing him. Moments later he pulled away and looked at her.

"Is this enough?" he asked cautiously.

Akane almost whimpered at the loss of contact. She had no doubt been enjoying it, but she wouldn't admit it to him. "Um...I guess so," she replied reassembling her clothes correctly. She folded her gi back and tied her belt around her torso as Ranma looked away. She had practically forgotten how they had arrived at their current situation. The last thing she remembered of the normal was their fighting. How did that escalate to this?

Ranma finally turned back to her. "So...are you impressed yet?" he asked with hope.

Akane smiled and grabbed his hand. She pulled it until his body maneuvered closer to her. "Sure...but now it's MY turn."

Ranma stared at her with curiosity. He tensed up as she reached for his face, to pull him into another kiss. Obediantly, he complied. Akane kissed him tenderly and ran her hands down to the hem of his tank top. Sliding them underneath, she slowly traced his tight abdominals. Ranma released his tension and relaxed under her touch. He deepened the kiss as her hands reached his well-defined pecs and began to mimic the touches Ranma had performed on her earlier by caressing his hardened nipples. He sighed into her mouth.

Their tongues didn't hesitate to continue their previous battle.

Akane hadn't noticed when their bodies crashed together during the kiss. She only noticed several minutes later when a poke at her stomach became annoying. She attempted to ignore it at first. But then she realised that both of Ranma's hands where planted on her waist.

She quickly pulled back from the kiss and glanced down. Yep. Just as she had suspected. An obvious tent grew in pants. She met his gaze and paused. Several thoughts ran through her head but she was uncertain on which to act. She glanced back down at the tent.

Before she could decide, her hand reacted on it's own, reaching for the tent. Ranma's eye widened when she finally touched him. He jumped back, startled.

"Akane!"

Akane seemed to immediately come out of the trance she was in. "I'm sorry!...I..." She looked down at the floor as her face took on the darkest shade of red. "I wasn't thinking. "Sorry...you want to go back inside?" She turned toward the dojo exit. She wasn't sure if she had ever been this embarrassed.

The staggered expression on Ranma's face softened into tenderness. He reached for her arm to stop her. "No...it's just...if you want to...than i don't mind."

Her gaze froze to his. She was uncertain. Maybe their little quarrel had gone a little too far. But at the same time, she was right where she wanted to be. She wanted to continue to kiss him, and touch him, and hold him, and be held by him. Even if HE possibly didn't want to.

Ranma leaned in for another kiss. This time, Akane turned her head and placed a hand on his chest to stop him. "Wait,"she said.

"What's wrong?"

"Ranma, before we go any further, I need to know something." He stared at her in curiosity. "Do you...you know...even like me?"

"'Course I like you, Akane." he said innocently.

"No,"she said. "I want the truth...Do you...have any feelings for me whatsoever?"

Ranma was taken back by the question. He looked her in her stern eyes. "...I..." He twiddled his thumbs and looked down at the floor again. "...I l-like you, Akane." Somehow, her facial expression changed. A look of disappointment washed over her and her eyes fell to the floor.

"Oh...I see." She pulled her arm from Ranma's grasp and continued toward the door.

Ranma was oblivious to what triggered her reaction. "Wait Akane. You didn't even let me finish."

"Why bother? You don't care about me."  
Ranma went after her. "What are you talking about?"

She yanked her shoulder away when he reached for it. "You're just taking advantage of me!"

Ranma had a look of disbelief. "Hey, if I remember correctly, this was YOUR challenge!" Akane paused, as if considering it. Despair suddenly washed over her features.

"Yeah...you're right...I'm sorry." She darted through the door.

"Hey! Wait a minute, Akane!" He took off after her. Akane ran down the wooden walk-way toward the house. Ranma continued after her. "Akane..." She didn't look back. When she reached the door, she made a dash for the staircase before her fiance could catch up to her. A few moments later, Ranma fell in behind her. He spotted her silhouette at the top of the dim stairs. "Akane..." he said again. Her silhouette disappeared.

Ranma sighed and hindered to a walk. "Stupid girl." He stomped up the steps and headed for her bedroom. When he reached her closed door, he tapped at it. "Akane, let me in." There was no response. Ranma knew she was in there because he had heard her shuffling around. He sighed and reached for the knob.

"I'm comin' in."

When he entered, he was immediately struck by various flying objects. "Hey!"

"Who told you you could come in?" she scolded.

"But what did I do?"

Akane 'hmphed' from her fetal position on the bed.

Ranma approached her bed with a scowl staining his face. "Listen, you-"

"Quiet down, Stupid, before you wake someone...Close the door."

Ranma exhaled hard before obeying. He gently shut the door then turned and took a seat next to her on the bed. Akane turned her head the other way, refusing to look at him. Ranma stared at her.

"What're you mad about this time?"

"I'm not mad," she replied softly.

"Then what'd you get all upset for?"

Akane rested her head on her bent legs and used her arms to pull her legs closer to her chest. "It's nothing, Ranma...Just forget it." Ranma rolled his eyes and glanced up at the ceiling. "Geez, Akane. Why do you always get mad at me, then push me away when I try to make things better."

Akane looked him in the eye. "Do you really want to know?...It's because you TRY to make things better but make them worse."

Ranma was taken back at this. "Wha...?"

"You can go back to your own room now. I'll be okay,"she said looking down at the floor.

"But you never told me what got you all upset."

Akane sighed. "Honestly, Ranma...If you can't figure it out, then you're the densest idiot in the world."

"What?"

"Now please leave..."

Ranma stood confused for a moment.`Then got up and started for the door. "Fine...whatever you say, Akane." She watched as he irritably closed the door behind him. Moments after he left, she found herself still staring at the floor. Was he really that oblivious to what he had just clarified about his feelings? She folded her arms over her bent legs and buried her head there.

'He's such a dummy.' she thought.

...

Ranma stared up at the ceiling. His eyes had adjusted to the dark room and he finally had something to stare at while he was deep in thought. Not only did the obnoxious snores from the panda sleeping next to him keep him awake, but so did his current situation with Akane. 'What is her problem all of a sudden?'  
Ranma reviewed the evenings events in his mind again. Akane had challenged him to a fight right after dinner. In order to prove his point, Ranma accepted. He never really intended on hurting her, physically or emotionally. It was a simple case of his ego. Then after ensnaring her in a trap she couldn't other wise get out of, Akane had used mind games to deceive him into releasing her.

Ranma blushed at the conversation that followed and the circumstance that led up to their first kiss. Ranma had accidentally groped her and after that, she had challenged his bravado and drove the situation further. She offered her submission and then questioned his willingness to comply. And after being filled with so many emotions at once-confusion, unwariness, hope, elation, fear, competitiveness- Ranma wasn't exactly sure what to think or how to react. So he did what was natural to him and let his competitive trait annex.

His face grew even warmer at the repetition of what followed. Their little "fight" had quickly transformed into an intimate encounter. At first, he had been reluctant, uncertain of where the encounter would lead them...where it would place them socially. But after seeing Akane's courage and consistancy in the "challenge", he gave in. Maybe just to prove a point...He wasn't really sure.

Eventually the events had took a turn when Akane had touched him. The unexpected act threw him off completely and by nature he was unsure of how to react. This pretty much ended the encounter. They would have continued if Akane hadn't stopped him there. Then she had posed the unexpected question:

"Do you even like me?"

Ranma wondered what brought on the question. Of course he liked her and he was pretty sure Akane knew that. He'd known her for two years. And even though they hadn't exactly started off on the right foot, they grew to accept each other. They had been through so much together, both good and bad situations. There had seldom been times when Akane wasn't willing to give her life for him and no matter how many times he had messed up, she always was forgiving. And Ranma was ALWAYS willing to give his life or make sacrifices for her. She was, at the LEAST, his best friend. But the next question had caught him off guard.

"Do you have any feelings for me whatsoever?"

Against his will, his mind had become a jumbled mess. A million possible responses ran through his head. Responses that he believed would have sent the situation in a better direction. But, as always, his mind was set on a certain response, but something totally different came out. If he had been prepared, this would have been the perfect chance for him to express his feelings. Caught off guard once more, his mouth functioned before his mind.

"...I l-like you, Akane."

He had thought 'Damn! That's not what I meant to say.' But the words had already been spoken, and with luck, maybe she would settle for it.

But that hadn't been the case. Ranma knew there was something wrong from the moment her expression changed. It was almost as if she had been looking forward to something, then Ranma had stripped that something away from her. She looked so disappointed.

Now that he thought about it, it had to be something within that moment that caused her to react the way she did.

But Ranma couldn't necessarily remember doing anything wrong. She wanted to know if he liked her and he told her he did. So what had upset her? Ranma thought about it for a few more moments.

An idea came to his head.

"...Hmm...unless..." He sat up from his sprawled out position on his futon. He pounded his fist into his palm. "Yep, that has to be it!"

Ranma was just about to crawl to his feet when a throaty growl came from behind him. Before he had the chance to turn around, a wooden sign came down and connected with his head, catapulting him to the floor.

The sign read 'Quiet down!" and the irritated panda behind the sign rolled over and fell back to sleep.

Ranma stood outside his fiancee's bedroom door. He could see the light still on from inside. He swallowed hard as he attempted to rehearse what was about to be said. He knew that the longer he waited to do this, the harder it would become. He just had to do it right the first time and get it over with.

His courage returned and he rapped at the door softly. The was no response. Ranma exhaled hard. She couldn't do this to him. 'Just open the damn door,' he thought. He thought about knocking again but what good would it do. If she was honestly that mad, she wouldn't open the door for him until SHE was good and ready.

Ranma stood there for a moment longer. There was still no response. He sighed and looked around the dark hallway. He turned to start down the hall when suddenly, the door creaked open a little. Akane peaked out of the crack and stared at him. "What...?" she whispered.

Ranma approached the crack. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"There's nothing to talk about."

"C'mon, Akane. Just give me a chance."

Akane rolled her eyes. "Don't even try to make me feel better because you never can."

That stabbed Ranma in the heart. So she was saying he had never made her feel better? Was she saying that all he could ever do is HURT her?

"Will you PLEASE just listen to me?" he said raising his voice a notch in frustration.

"I don't want to hear it, Ranma," she replied looking, gloomily down at the floor.

Ranma opened his mouth to retort, but he bit his tongue. He stopped himself before he made another mistake and said something that made things worse. Then he stopped and thought about it...

...She was right.

"Goodnight," she said slowly closing the door.

Ranma didn't do anything to stop her. He watched the door as the lights within her room flickered off.

He sighed and slowly started down the hallway. No matter how much he hated to admit it, she was right. Anger and hurt boiled through him and he repressed the urge to punch the wall. He retreated back to his own room, expecting no sleep that night.

...

Akane pressed her head against the door and waited for his footsteps to fade down the hall. She returned back to the comfort of her bed and crawled under the covers. Despite her protests, tears burned her eyes and a few even escaped, leaving a burning trail down her cheeks. She buried her face in her pillow.

She had told, both herself and Ranma, numerous times that there was nothing he could dish out that she couldn't handle. But even SHE had to admit...there was only so much she could take from him.

To be continued...


End file.
